"I'm rarely so lucky as to have rotten days for a boat test. Usually, the sea is benign and the sky is so blue you'd think the builder had the Big Guy on speed dial. And that just about describes the powder-puff scene last September, when I stepped aboard hull number two of the new Tartan 4400 series for what was supposed to be a leisurely three-day sail from Rhode Island to Manhattan."Story

"During our 11 years of cruising with a homemade fiberglass dinghy, my wife, Theresa, and I rarely wished we'd had a fast inflatable or RIB. Talk to other hard-dinghy owners, and they'll give many reasons for their preferences. A hard dinghy keeps you fit, has personality, can be rigged with a sail, is economical to buy and maintain, and, perhaps most important, can always be quickly deployed to set a second anchor or to kedge off a shoal.
"Story

"The Telstar’s ingenious foldaway feature adds still more parts that exhibit a raw fiberglass edge. One approach—the one the Smiths adopted—is not to hide the edges at all; rather, they employ good tooling and laminating techniques to produce clean edges straight from the mold.
"Story

"Although no clear winner emerged from our testing, we found features we liked in every engine. In a perfect world, all these positive attributes would be combined into a quiet little four-stroke that tipped the scales at a dainty 70 pounds or less. Dreaming? "Story

"Designers Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot Prévost took the strengths and weaknesses of the older Lagoon 47 and created a multifaceted multihull, ready to play the role of a liveaboard, charter boat, or long-distance cruiser. The transition from the Lagoon 47 to the Lagoon 470 entailed a major hull and deck redesign and a new approach to the use of space below, resulting in a truly new boat.
"Story

"Beneteau’s new line of cruising sailboats underlines how firm is the company’s grasp not only on its customers’ desires but on how to meet them by building well-equipped boats at surprising prices—surprisingly low, that is. For anyone seriously in the market for a new boat in the 40-foot range, $190,000 is a mighty attractive starting point, so let’s look at what it buys."Story

"In its 25 years, Island Packet has been highly regarded for building strong, seaworthy sailboats that are tuned to the cruising sailor’s needs. With first-rate systems and enough storage space to keep a cruising family comfortable for months at a time, the 485 is a well-appointed escape pod. No, you won’t shatter any speed records round the buoys, but the boat fits the bill for the couple or family looking for a boat that they could truly call a home.
"Story

"In the last two model years, Hunter Marine has racheted up its boats’ value, and much of the effort has been made in the areas of accommodations and onboard amenities. On going below on the 426 DS, the results are readily apparent. Built with modular manufacturing techniques, the interior features a veneered- panel ceiling, a technique that ties the components together visually while giving the main cabin a subtle warmth.
"Story